Nuclear Medicine

What is nuclear medicine?

A nuclear medicine exam is a diagnostic procedure that uses a tracer substance and a special camera to detect energy in the form of gamma rays. It's often used to analyze kidney function, scan lungs for respiratory and blood-flow problems, check function of the heart, identify gallbladder blockage and evaluate bones.

The tracer substance, usually given to the patient through an IV but sometimes given orally, contains a small amount of radioactive material that settles in a specific organ and gives off energy.

The camera captures the energy and works with a computer to produce images and measurements of your organs and tissues.

The benefits of nuclear medicine

Nuclear medicine is a safe procedure with a very low incidence of side effects.

For many diseases, nuclear medicine studies provide information that is currently unavailable using other imaging procedures.

Cardiac nuclear medicine imaging evaluates the heart for coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy. It also may be used to help determine whether the heart has been damaged by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Nuclear medicine imaging provides unique information that often cannot be obtained using other imaging procedures.

Hepatobiliary nuclear medicine imaging helps evaluate the parts of the biliary system, including the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, using small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Nuclear medicine imaging provides unique information that often cannot be obtained using other imaging procedures.

Renal scintigraphy uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers, a special camera and a computer are used to evaluate your kidneys’ function and anatomy and determine whether they are working properly. It can provide unique information that is often unattainable using other imaging procedures.

Lymphoscintigraphy helps evaluate your body’s lymphatic system for disease using small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled, swallowed, or in the case of lymphoscintigraphy, injected into the skin. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Because it is able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, lymphoscintigraphy offers the potential to identify lymphatic disease in its earliest stages.

Nuclear medicine imaging uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Nuclear medicine imaging provides unique information that often cannot be obtained using other imaging procedures and offers the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages.

Positron emission tomography (PET) uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers, a special camera and a computer to help evaluate your organ and tissue functions. By identifying body changes at the cellular level, PET may detect the early onset of disease before it is evident on other imaging tests.

Radioiodine therapy is a nuclear medicine treatment for an overactive thyroid, a condition called hyperthyroidism, and also may be used to treat thyroid cancer. When a small dose of radioactive iodine I-131 (an isotope of iodine that emits radiation) is swallowed, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and concentrated by the thyroid gland, where it begins destroying the gland's cells.

Radioembolization is a minimally invasive procedure that combines embolization and radiation therapy to treat liver cancer. Tiny glass or resin beads filled with the radioactive isotope yttrium Y-90 are placed inside the blood vessels that feed a tumor. This blocks the supply of blood to the cancer cells and delivers a high dose of radiation to the tumor while sparing normal tissue. It can help extend the lives of patients with inoperable tumors and improve their quality of life.

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a combination of radiation therapy and immunotherapy used to treat non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma and other types of cancer. RIT uses engineered monoclonal antibodies paired with radioactive materials called radiotracers. When injected into the patient’s bloodstream, they bind to cancer cells and deliver a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor.

Skeletal scintigraphy helps diagnose and evaluate a variety of bone diseases and conditions using small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Because it is able to pinpoint molecular activity within the body, skeletal scintigraphy offers the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages.

Thyroid scan and uptake uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers, a special camera and a computer to provide information about your thyroid’s size, shape, position and function that is often unattainable using other imaging procedures.